Death toll from Sudan violence rises to 863: Medics

KHARTOUM, Sudan

The death toll from clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group has risen to 863 civilians, according to local medics on Monday.

In a statement, the Sudan Doctors Syndicate said that 3,531 people have also been injured in the violence since April 15.

The NGO said that 28 civilians had been killed in clashes between the two military rivals in Nyala city, the provincial capital of South Darfur province, in recent days.

Last week, the syndicate had put the death toll from the violence at 850 and 3,394 others injured.

A 7-day cease-fire is set to come into force between the army and the RSF on Monday following talks between the two conflicting parties in Saudi Arabia.

A disagreement had been fomenting in recent months between the army and the RSF over the paramilitary group’s integration into the armed forces, a key condition of Sudan's transition agreement with political groups.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency in a move decried by political forces as a "coup."

Sudan's transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, had been scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

*Writing by Ahmed